Get Excited Because the New Kia Rio Is Here

The Kia Rio is one of the five cheapest new cars you can buy in America. The hatchback version of this subcompact starts at $15,495 today, and if you're the sort of person who spends that kind of money on something with a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty instead of anything cool that pops up at Bring a Trailer, I guess you should know about the new one.

The fourth-generation Rio has a 0.39 inch longer wheelbase at 101.5 inches, which makes the car 0.5 incheslonger overall. It's also 0.19 inches wider at 5.6 feet, while the roof is 0.19 inches lower. Does the improved stance make this Rio look sportier? Well, it makes it just as sporty as something like a VW Polo, which is not surprising since it was designed in Germany and California.

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What's for sure is that the C-pillar is thinner, which is great for rear visibility.

Inside, Kia promises a more ergonomic layout with the dashboard now angled towards the driver, just like in your crazy cousin's E30. Quite a few buttons got replaced by the high-resolution touchscreen as well, hopefully making the human-machine interface more intuitive.

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If you aren't impressed by Kia's gloss black and metallic trim, plus the choice of black or grey cloth or faux leather seat upholstery, something called the 'Red Pack' offers black with red faux leather-trimmed seats as well. Those should impress the neighbors.